Novice, Confusion, Misinformation?

Now that I know what I know, I realize how odd it can be to have first hand knowledge of clay and yet be in the dark about what all those molds and designs are all about.

That did happen to me. I grew up finding my own clay and creating things like little pueblo houses, bowls and vases. The only problem was, as a child I had no idea there were other people playing with clay.

I later learned from the Indian ladies, how to build pots for firing but again, having no access to a kiln or any other firing facility, I never saw one of my pieces fired.
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I was 30 years old, the first time I ventured into a 'ceramic shop', one of those places with all sorts of greenware on the shelf. In my curiosity, I reached out just to touch the side of a greenware piece only to be reprimanded by the owner. She didn't offer assistance, only hollered, "Don't touch! They're very fragile. You'll break it!" I left.

It wasn't until I was around 40, I again ventured into one of 'those' shops. This is where my education began, in the poured ceramics world.

It was another 10 years before I got into it seriously, as life neccessitated I find a way to make a living without withholding taxes, which meant no employer-no above ground visibility, as I needed to hide from a very strange ex-husband.

I was forced to learn all I could, as fast as I could and find a way to make it work.

In my ventures, I was not only surprised by the fact that basically this greenware stuff was the same as what I used to dig out of the river, I also discovered the many wives tales being taught to the average student.

While the potters and poured ceramic artists, each deemed themselves superior to the other, I stood with a foot in both worlds and saw very little difference. Both worked in clay. The only significant difference I could see was the fact that poured ceramics was formed by a commercially produced mold, while the potter formed from memory and talent. I like both. Crossing the lines between the two, brought me into yet a whole other world in clay, which is pretty much just my world. I don't see others playing in both sand boxes.

I'll be back to ramble some more.